A rival education union has been launched in the island.

The Education Union of Mann (EdUMann for short) bills itself as ’by Manx educators, for Manx education’.

It has been set up teaching professionals who say they are concerned about the strained relationship between the Department of Education, Sport and Culture and the UK-based unions.

EdUMann is open to anyone working in education including administrative staff, caretakers and kitchen staff who may be employed by other departments.

Its membership already totals about 20 and it includes teachers, support staff, headteachers and members of the Education Improvement Service.

The union’s leaders say it is founded on the belief that the Isle of Man is unique and best served by those who understand the local context.

Its general secretary is Jess Egelnick, who was joint branch and district secretary of the NEU until she left that union in April this year.

She said: ’I am helping to build a union in which Manx-paid membership fees are used entirely for the benefit of Manx members and in which Manx members are able to influence and shape the path we follow.

’I’m looking forward to the Education Union of Mann growing and becoming a vital part of the machinery of the Manx education system.’

EdUMann treasurer Tina Gleghorn, who was also formerly joint district secretary of the NEU, said: ’Teaching on the island has many benefits, it also generates needs and issues not necessarily relevant in England and Wales.

’This is a great opportunity to help develop and participate in something new and exciting. This new union is exactly what we need and I am delighted to be part of it.’

Ms Egelnick told the Examiner: ’The concern of our founding members was that there wasn’t a union in the island that represented our needs, our views, our social context, and the type of relationship we want to have with the department.

’So, as a group, we decided to create one that represents who we are and what we value.’

She insisted that the DESC has played no role whatsoever is setting up the new union.

’This is an initiative entirely driven by members. It would be inappropriate and counter-productive for a trade union to be in any way the creation of or beholden to the employer,’ she pointed out.

’We believe that being a Manx union will attract attention and interest from prospective members. The idea of all direction being determined locally has a lot of strength. It’s what the island needs.’

Teaching unions have been in dispute with the DESC over pay and conditions. They say teachers’ pay has fallen by 30% in real terms over the last decade.

In January the NEU agreed a deal in principle to end its dispute - although that move by the DESC was described by one of the other unions as ’a cheap attempt to divide and rule’.

The NEU was included in a statement issued last week by the joint unions that branded as ’deeply disappointing’ the government’s stance not to make more money available to settle the pay dispute.

Ms Egelnick said it would be ’inappropriate’ for her to make comments on the motivations of the other unions as these would be ’speculative only’. She said the same applies to trying to predict what the reactions of other unions might be to the launch of EdUMann.